From: The Sun (UK)
Trevor Wales, 54, evaded paying £200,000 in duty during a six-year counterfeit tobacco scam.
He used the cash to buy a 4X4, jet skis, motorbikes and luxury caravans and built a two-storey extension on his semi complete with a games room and gym. But his pride and joy was a perfect replica of Del Boy’s three-wheeler complete with the Trotters Independent Traders logo on the side.
He was jailed alongside his wife and son, who were also in on the dodgy dealings.
Det Con Carly North said: “While the exploits of television’s Trotters are well-known in terms of bending the law I’d like to think Del Boy would have drawn a line well before the level of offending this family got to.”
Wales and his wife began selling counterfeit foreign tobacco and cigarettes in 2003, with their son Richard, 28, also in on it.
Apart from the car, jetskis and other luxuries — the family even had a landscaped greyhound training area for their dogs — Mary lost £47,000 in a casino.
But despite their extravagant lifestyle they still had £144,000 in bank accounts — on a legitimate income of just £7,400 a year.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford told Leeds Crown Court the scam “enabled all three to live well beyond their means”.
He added: “The family spent far more money than could be explained by their income.”
Wales, of Leeds, was jailed for two years and three months after admitting evading VAT on cigarettes and tobacco. Mary, 53, was given a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting converting criminal property.
She also got an 18-month supervision order and a four-month curfew.
Richard got 15 months after admitting evading VAT and converting criminal property.
